Winter Hut to Hut Trip: Jackal to Janet’s – Intermediate to Advanced

About Gravity Haus Overnight Experiences

Gravity Haus creates best-in-class experiences that welcome our community to spend time in reverence of the great outdoors, where you’ll embrace your inner adventurer, disconnect from the grind of daily life, and develop relationships with your fellow Gravity Haus members as you create memories outside, together.

About This Trip

Join us for a stunning ski-touring adventure to two of Colorado’s most beloved high alpine huts! Our partners with Paragon Guides will take you on this once-in-a-lifetime journey which leads from Jackal Hut to Janet’s Cabin, two of the 10th Mountain Division Hut Association’s most welcoming destinations.

Value of This Trip

• Gravity Haus members receive a massive discount off of the public pricing. $699 for our members, $1,185 to the public.
• In addition, Gravity Haus will be providing elevated dinners each night from Slope Room. These specially-created menus are not available to the public.

FAQ

• What Are We Doing? There will be the option for skiing, but the majority of the trip will be spent ski-touring, advanced split-borders welcome!
• Skill Level: Intermediate to Advanced – NOT APPROPRIATE FOR BEGINNERS
• Group Size: 12 plus 2 Paragon Guides and 2 Gravity Haus Hosts
• Pre & Post-Hike Accommodations: We encourage you to use your discount at Gravity Haus Vail to stay overnight Thursday or Sunday. Simply open your app to book!
• Where Do I Leave My Car? At the Copper Mountain rendezvous point.
• What Do I Pack? Please refer to the packing list here.
• Can My Dog Come? Not on this trip!
• Is There Any Avalanche Danger? The team at Paragon Guides scouts out the best conditions and assess avalanche danger and other potentially dangerous conditions that may not be evident to the untrained eye. You’re in great hands with them.

Itinerary

2 Weeks Prior

• Virtual pre-trip orientation meeting, where you’ll “meet” with your guides, fellow trekkers, and review all details in preparation for your trip.

Friday, February 10

• 8 AM – Meet at Copper Mountain for introductions and gear review
• 9 AM – Shuttle to Camp Hale
• ~9:45 AM – Tour up to Jackal Hut – expect to cover 4 miles with 2,300′ of elevation gain
• Apres and dinner from Slope Room at Jackal Hut
• Lunch, apres and dinner provided

Saturday, February 11

• Breakfast at Jackal Hut
• Tour from Jackal Hut to Janet’s Cabin – expect to cover 5 miles over Elk Ridge with beautiful views of the 10 Mile Range. You’ll experience 2,000′ of elevation gain on this high alpine route; note variable skiing conditions can exist.
• Lunch on the trail
• Apres and dinner from Slope Room at Janet’s Cabin
• A sauna is available at Janet’s – bring your real suit, no birthday suits allowed 🙂
• Option for powder skiing around the hut this evening.
• Breakfast, lunch, apres and dinner provided

Sunday, February 12

• Breakfast at Janet’s Hut
• Option for powder skiing around the hut this morning.
• 6 mile descent back to Copper Mountain
• Lunch on the trail
• 2-3 PM: Arrival back to vehicles
• Breakfast and lunch provided

Trip Package Includes

• Paragon Professional Guides (6:1 maximum guide to attendee ratio)
• Transportation from designated meeting place (Copper Mountain) to the Trailhead
• Food as listed above
• Beer (not too many, no one wants a hangover at altitude; BYO if you’re able to carry it)
• Lodging as listed above

Trip Package Does Not Include

• Avalanche Safety Gear if needed (beacon, shovel, probe, pack) – available to rent via Haus Quiver
• Clothing and Gear – Packing List
• Backcountry skis or splitboards – available to rent via Haus Quiver
• Transportation to designated meeting place (Copper Mountain)
• Insurance (Trip or Rescue) – Consider adding Spot Accident Insurance onto your membership if you don’t already have it.
• Gratuity

About Jackal Hut

Jackal Hut is the eastern most hut owned by 10th Mountain Divison Hut Association. It is located in central Colorado, on the western slope of the Continental Divide about 15 miles north of the city of Leadville at 11,660′. It is the closest hut to the Camp Hale site, where the 10th Mountain Division soldiers did most of their training during the Second World War.

Located near timberline in an area used by 10th Mountain troops during their war training in the 1940s, Jackal Hut has good nearby skiing and terrific views of several stunning 14,000-foot peaks.

About Janet’s Cabin

Janet’s is located on the eastern slope of the Continental Divide at 11,610ft, about 5 miles south of Vail Pass and Interstate Highway 70, in central Colorado. The location is near Copper Mountain ski resort.

Located at timberline in the Guller Creek Drainage next to the Copper Mountain Ski Resort, Janet’s Cabin is a fine hut that attracts both novice and expert skiers. The hut was completed in 1990 by Summit Huts Association (the hut owner). The lovingly crafted 3,000 square foot cabin is built with 10″ Montana pine logs. Four bedrooms sleep a maximum of 20 guests. If you like mountain lounging you’ll feel at home on the large front deck, where you can bake in the sun while you watch skiers descend from the high bowls.

Janet’s Cabin is dedicated to the memory of Janet Boyd Tyler, a Vail resident and avid skier who passed away in 1988. According to her eulogy, “Janet was renowned for her quick smile and readiness to constantly re-discover the joy of life. She discovered her life-long passion for skiing while attending school in New Hampshire. Early on, Janet met the challenges of the slopes, including (if the legends are true) Tuckerman Ravine in the White Mountains. She dug into all her pursuits with the same enthusiasm she gave to skiing, and she often viewed life’s challenges from a skier’s perspective. Mountain views, fresh clear air, the beckoning of trees beside the trails, but most of all a good powder morning-these were all perceptions she carried every day. Janet’s lifetime ski pass is now buried in the foundation of Janet’s Cabin.